Immigration Law in Italy – Visas and Permits

An individual?
Italy is a “dream country” for many. If you contemplate moving to Italy, our law firm is uniquely prepared to approach all your immigration-related questions with efficiency and great commitment.

A business entity?
Our Italian and foreign-qualified lawyers have also built significant experience in assisting Italian and foreign-based businesses by addressing their human resources needs.

Due to a multi-level regulatory system (Italian, European and International) that is applicable to persons not holding an Italian passport, visa and immigration-related issues are rather complex. However, your nationality is not the only factor that comes into play when determining the type of visa/permit that best matches your needs. Each case is unique with specific conditions and documentation requirements.

To begin your journey to Italy, we must determine the best possible solution. We base our immigration legal advice on your personal and professional status, as well as on your medium and long-term goals for life and career, or even retirement, in Italy.

Italian immigration law provides several potential visa options, however, not all them apply to a given applicant. The most commonly used visas/permits are the following:

Elective Residency Visa

Student VISA (for a stay longer than 3 months)

Asylum Visa

Exclusive Custody Permit

Family Reunification Visa

Self-employment Work Permit

Employee Work Permit

Religious Visa

Visa for Scientific Research and

Visa for Stateless Persons

Our working languages in the area of Immigration Law are: Italian, English, German, Russian, Spanish and Greek.

Buzz topic: Elective Residency in Italy

This type of visa allows persons that generate income generated in their country of residence to relocate to Italy. This is usually the case with persons that have decided to retire.

Under Italian Law (Decreto Legislativo n° 286/1998) a non-European citizen (i.e., the visa applicant) is requested to provide evidence that he/she relies on an income that allows him to reside in Italy without working (the amount of this income is determined by the Italian Consulate located in the State where the applicant originally comes from). This varies greatly from State to State.

These funds must not be generated through employment. Pension is a good example of the type of funds that would make an individual eligible for an elective residency visa. Other types of income include income generated through lease agreements and dividends (unless the applicant is employed by the company or holds the office of CEO/Manager Director).

The steps that we must take in order to obtain an Elective Residency visa in Italy are the following:

File a form to the Italian Consulate of the State of origin and all necessary accompanying documentation such as a copy of the applicant’s passport, a document providing evidence that the applicant generates the income required to live in Italy and a document providing proof that the applicant has secured accommodation in Italy (i.e., a real-estate purchase contract or a lease).

If the submitted documents comply with requirements set by the applicable regulations, the Italian Consulate will provide the applicant with an “entry visa” that allows him to enter Italy and apply for the Elective Residency visa.

The application for the Elective Residency Visa must be filed within 90 days from the issuance of the entry visa. This application is submitted to a Police Department called “Questura” (the competent Questura is located at the Italian city where the applicant has decided to take up the Elective Residency).

The contents of this page should not be taken as an authoritative statement of Italian law and practice. Neither the author nor the publisher are responsible for the results of actions taken on the basis of information contained in this summary, nor for any errors or omissions. This text is not intended to render legal, accounting or tax advice. Readers are encouraged to seek professional advice concerning specific matters before making any decision.

Hi, I am livin in London and married who is Italian. I applied my Italian citizenship back in 1.04.2017. I have got an email from London Italy Consulate refused my application. The reason was I am Turkish got my criminal records document from Turkey also translated and they said these documents are not appostil/legalized. I did all my documents correctly and uploaded on the website with everything. I dont know how they decide it? In the mean time my husband said when he was uploading all documents there was error on the website. What should I do now? How will i have to deal it? I got everything but after 2 years disappointed with refusal an email.
Thanks for your help

Hello, my mum(Ghanaian) has been living in Germany of my Dad who is an Italian for the past 12 years but has not been working. They recently got divorced right when she was to apply for he passport. Can she proceed without him. If not, what can she do?

Hello, if an American who was working in Italy but has gone past their legal stay period because a contract was extended and forgot to renew their work visa. How are does it work for them to be able to leave the country to get back home?

Hello sir
I’m Heyhat Asyle from italy Im with my parents we are 6 person
3 Sister and i” we are 10 month in italy and we take a #PermessoDiSoggiorno 5 year with passport/ my questions is:-
We wanna going to #UK (England)for work! For this “How we can going there and. You thing we will need a visa or not because the lawyer said You didn’t need visa 5 P years .. I just wanna know please help us.,,,?!

Hello Sir Its Zoraiz here from Pakistan . I need to ask some questions regarding Italy immigration . I need to ask that if I hold a Italy work permit or Eu blue card of Italy how much time it would required for me and my family to get citizenship of Italy or Italian passport . I further want to ask is they’re any other way through investment or any other legal ways despite of Parents form Italy or stuff like this . I hope that I am able to clear out my self to you . Sir I am waiting for you answer as I found that you are capable of answering my question because I am interesting in getting Italian passport

Hello my name is Duane I am a US citizen .My wife has the privilege to teach at New York university next school year. So she has a work visa for two years. My question is since we are married is there a way for me to get a visa Also? What I have been seeing is three months at a time.

Hello, I am self supporting freelancer USA , who would like to stay a year in Italy( Rome ) .
I have accommodations secured and can support myself since I am a remote contractor- I don’t need an office just my pc and internet.
What type of visa can I apply for. Who should I call/email?
Thanks

HI, I will appreciate your help. My passport was stolen, now I have a extraordinary passport for 6 months. I have entered to Italy on August 8th, 2018, but my return flight is on november 18th. 12 days after the 90days visa or schengen countries expiers. I do not want to to broke the law and have problems, but the flight ticket cannot be changed or modify. I would loose it and would have to buy another one. Is it possible to pay for a 15 days visa or a penalty to stay in Italy 12 more days.
Besides i want to return and try to stablish here in Italy, I think I could apply for Elective REscidence since I have some investements in Mexico. Could you please help me?

Hello,
I have been living in Italy for about 16 years and me and my family have Carta di Soggiorno which is permanent. But now the old A4 paper Carta di soggiorno is replaced by a computerized card. So what’s the procedure to replace my old carta di soggiorno with the new one ?

Hello,
I’m an independent journalist, self-supporting (U.S. sources), and I want to spend one year (at least) in Palermo, Sicily to do research for a book. None of the long-stay visa types seem to clearly apply. A phone consultation might resolve my questions.
Thanks

Dear Sir, thank you for the phone call today , i am Dr askary from Egypt , we are a family of five ( three young kids) we are interested to have a permanent residence in Europe in the European union probable based in Italy , we are not interested to stay in Italy but to have the residency for travel purposes and ability to move without a visa

Hello I’m Aftab and I’m a Pakistani National from Italy, I have political Asylum (Asilo Politico) in italy with 5 years of Resident Permit. I’m planing to travel Malaysia, Thailand etc. Can i use my pakistani passport for travling?.. i don’t wana take Refugee Documents.

. I am jugraj singh from India and I have refusal stamp of student visa of latvia on my passport. Now i want to apply for work visa in italy.
Can i apply the work visa of italy on same passport?? Because latvia and Italy are both schengen countries
Is Italian embassy have any objection to give me work visa regarding my refusal stamp on passport..?? Or there is no role of refusal stamp for Italian embassy??
Should i change copy of passport or apply on same..??
Kindly reply me as soon as possible. Thanks a lot

انا موجود الان بفيزا سياحه واريد ايجاد عقد عمل لعمل اقامة باسرع وقت او اى طريقة اخرى المهم هو الحصول على اقامه والبقاء هنا
I am currently in with a tourist visa and want to find a work contract for the establishment work as soon as possible or any other important way is to get it and stay here

I am Filipina. I am currently in Italy holding a tourist visa for 90 days. I would like to please extend my visa if is feasible.
What shall we do?
What type of visa or what we can do for me to stay here more?
My fiancee is Italian citizen and we’re living together.

HI
Good Evening Respected sir I hope you will be fine sir I need some information Regarding work visa for Italy How I Apply visa I am Pakistani National but Working in UAE Abu Dhabi long time please Explain me that if Possible

There are a lot of VISA permits (self-employment, family reunification, elective residency, etc.); in order to find the solution that suits you better you should please send an email to info@italylawfirms.com providing us with more details about your situation.

Yes i would like to move to italy to study medicine. I am an american and not rich enough to afford million dollar american college. Will italy be ok with this? I like juventus can speak italian and am well behaved.

Dear Roberto, you would be absolutely able to attend Italian University (which is not as expensive as the American ones.. the problem is what kind of VISA you could obtain.
Please write us to give us more details.

kind att,
I am planning to Register srl company in Italy and work as a selfemployed in the field of pet and agricultural items to export from Italy,I will highly appreciate to find out what kind of assistance you may give and from where should I start?meanwhile, I was born in 1950 and very professional in export sectors,
warm regards

I am a Lebanese citizen holder of an international business degree. I know i need €350,000 to buy a house and get a residence permit and €500,000 to get a start up employment visa. If I have a tourist visa and wants to open a small restaurant in Rome for €15,000, is it possible to legalise my situation and work in Italy me and my wife with the help of a lwayer? If, yes what is the cost and how much time does it need to get it?

Dear Bi,
yes you can legalize your position but you would need anyway to back to your country of residency to apply for a self employment permit at the competent Consulate.
Please write us at info@italylawfirms for more details.

My family(wife and a kid) and I are from Iran. I’m an Erasmus Mundus Master student in Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems,TROPIMUNDO, at UNIFI (2018-2019).I will arrive in Florence in September 2018.How can my family get visa ,up to 90 days or more than 90 days, and live with me in Florence?

I applied student visa for master programme in Italy but i have been refused and reason is ” you did not prove to process the financial means as of under interior ministry directive 2000″.
I think it’s unfair because I have provided sufficient proofs of funds. I would like to go for appeal through your law firm. I am sending refusal letter as an attachment. Please let me know the process and your fee.my other class fellow got refusal with same reason . They also need your services.

Hello,
I am a non-EU citizen (American), moving with my British wife and baby, from the United Kingdom to Rome Italy. I have lived in the UK for the past 4 and a half years, and my wife and I have been married for almost 4 years. We moved 3 weeks ago to Rome and have registered our presence at the Questura, have obtained 3 codice fiscale codes, and my wife and baby just got reciept of application for residence certificate at the local Anagrafe. I need to apply for Carta di Soggiorno as a non-EU spouse of EU national, as having just moved from another EU country, UK. I want to ensure that I properly apply for the Carta di Soggiorno to be issued to me for 5 years residence as the spouse of EU national resident. I want assistance to make sure I fill in the Carta di Soggiorno properly as spouse of EU National. My wife and baby have registered change of residence at the Anagrafe based on being self-sufficient with Comprehensive health insurance cover. The europa.eu website and the poliziadiitalia website both indicate that to apply for EC Long-Term Residence Permit (carta di soggiorno) for foreign family members of EU citizens, I should only be required to present my passport, marriage certificate(which is US-marriage certificate), 4 passport-sized photos, and the EU citizen’s receipt of application for registration with the Anagrafe. Do you have the knowledge and experience to help me ensure I receive 5 year Carti di soggiorno for accompanying my EU-national spouse and baby, moving from another EU country? Also if you could give me an idea of how much the cost would be.
Thank you,
Matthew

Hi my name Hakim. Leaving in uk and having f amilly member visa 5 years will be expired in 2021 but i divorce my parter and I have another girl friend and I’m waiting baby from her . I have Shengan visa for 90 days still available and I wanted to stay in Italy with my future wife and our baby what I have to do .thanks

Dear Sir/Madam
First I would like to thank you for the general explanation for the visas subject
Am from Libya and living in malta as resident and I have my own company which the company of malta owns Two European brands called Sorriso for foods stuff and Dazzle for detergents and also am resident in Dubai ( Emairets ) as investor at the moment am thinking to move to italy but I did not know from where I can start
If it possible kindly contact me but sending email to me or by whatsapp on my number 0035699113611
Just to know am l would like to start some business in italy especially in the property development

I am flying to Italy on June 18. However, upon checking on my visa, the date is June 19-28, 2017. Since I will be arriving at 7:00 p.m., would I be allowed entry or just stay at the airport for a few hours since it is already close to the 19th? I will be in Italy only for a week to do a pope pilgrimage for my 60th birthday. I would appreciate your advise on this.

Hello sir / madam I’m living in Germany my asylum is been refused and I’m waiting my court hearing but it can take so long I’m here since Jan 2017 but still struggling for status, I’m not allowed to work even, one of my friend is in Italy he told me that it’s easy to get status in Italy, I shall be very thankful to you please if you guide me what to do. Thanks in advance.

I am the biological father of a 10 year old minor who who a permanent residence status in italy through my late mum whom my daughter was under her tutelage. I came to burry my mum with a visitors visa. Do I qualify to obtain a residence permit, if yes please advise.
Thanks.
Richie

Dear Sir/Madam,
I am Mahdi Nasiri from Iran. I found you via internet and would like to register a company in Italy. Also my wife and I would like to migrate and get the residence of Italy hereby. Could you please inform me about this Matter? How can I register company and could you do this? Which kind of documents should I bring there? Can I get the residence of Italy by this way? How long does it take that a company is registered? After how many years we can get the residence of Italy?
It will be noted that, my wife and I now are at Italy. can I see you at your office?
Many thanks in advance for your kind information and I would be so pleasure to hear you a.s.a.p.
Best Regards,
Mahdi Nasiri

Hello I’m holding syrian nationality but living in china and I have few questions to discuss with you. First at all I’m right now in Rome for travel and my visa will expired on February 22 can you help me to renew it. Second I would like to hear your suggestion about the best way to get 1 years visa or Permanent residence by opening small amount company or apply for asylum or study in Italy

Hello Sir,God bless on you.I am a Pakistani.I am Married. Iam a Govt. employ in Education Department working as a teacher since 19993 to uptill now .Mynqualification is M.A M.Ed .i want to get immigration for Italy.What do i need do.

I am a student at the University of Maryland and I am scheduled to travel to Florence Italy to live and study for the semester.. I am scheduled to travel to Italy on January 3, 2017 and return to the USA on April 9, 2017. I have tried to make an appointment at the Italian Consulate in order to apply for a visa yet there are no appointments available. Are you able to help me obtain a student visa?

Dear Sir,
Hi,
I am Abbas Eslami From Tehran, Iran.
I wanted to ask about Italian Elective Residence Visa for persons with high self-sustaining incomes and financial assets; the resident without permit of work.
Can you help me for that?

I have been in contact with the Italian consulate in Philadelphia and they are giving me a hard time. My family and I would like to stay in Italy for more than 90 days. We will be at my mother’s home and will have steady income so we will NOT need to work in Italy. They tell me that I don;t qualify for elective residence, but I don’t understand why. Can you help? Thank you, Kristin

Dear Kristin,
we would need to know on what grounds they refused your application.
We would be happy to give you our preliminary opinion about your case if you please to provide us with more details via email.
Rgs
Michele

Dear Sirs,
My partner and I are Australian citizens working on a UK flagged Yacht that will be based in Italy for the next 18 months. We live full time on the yacht. We have been advised that we need to apply for a long stay National Visa. Is this correct and if so are you able to help us to obtain this visa?
Thank you in advance.
Regards,
Christina.

Dear.sir.I’m a UK citizen I will come to Italy net week I already found a job over there .I will ask can my wife join me to live to gether in Italy. and when and can I start this proces? it will be great if you give me more details about this with my regard to all

Dear Sir
I would like to ask that I have subsidiary protection residence permit in Italy. I got this permit in appeal. I claimed my asylum on 20th January 2012. The question is when is time started for my carta di soggiorno?

Salve!
I’m a 66 years of age divorced American lady. I’m retired and would like to relocate to Italy. I have a friend in Milan who is a few years older than me, and he has kindly offered to let me live in one of his condo apartments free of charge. I receive a rather modest fixed amount of money from my Social Security Retirement Benefits every month. I live on a tight budget, but I am able to manage. I took a trip to Italy in 2011 and I loved it there and didn’t want to leave, but unfortunately I had to return to the USA much to my dismay. While I was in Italy I stayed with friends. In the past I have taken a few elementary and lower intermediate level courses in Italian on the Internet and at local community colleges. My reading and oral comprehension of Italian is not bad, but I still have a difficult time with conversational Italian. Anyway, I have been dreaming of living in Italy for the past many years, and I think I would like to make Italy my home for the remainder of my life. What are the necessary steps that I must take in order to make this dream a reality? Do I need a sponsor? I would appreciate any advice you could give me. La ringrazio anticipatamente.

Hello
I have been living in Italy since 2012 with a ‘carte d’identità’ since April 2013
I have a British Passport and my question is, where do I stand now with Britain voting to exit the EU and my ability to continue residing in Italy ?
Thank You
Christine

Hello sir / madam I’m living in ireland my asylum is been refused and I’m waiting my court hearing but it is taking so long I’m here since 2014 but still struggling for status, I’m not allowed to work even, one of my friend is in Italy he told me that it’s easy to get status in Italy, I shall be very thankful to you please if you guide me what to do. Thanks in advance.

Dear Sirs/Madams:
I would like to inform you that I am one of the your candidate of Italian scholarship at University of Calabria . I am from Iraqi kudistan I want to ask you a question about getting visa I am married and I have a child , can I apply to get visa for them . if ,so
How can I apply ?
I need information .
Best wishes ,
Othman H.MahmoodOthmanhaji1990@gmail.com
Demousterator at college of education
Physics Department
Erbil-iraq

1- My name is Mohammed Al-obaidi , an Iraqi nationality born 17\5\1963 I hold Iraqi passport No:A10640378 . I work in the general trading and constructions
I have a residence in tow countries (Jordan and Morocco )
A member in the Federation of Arab businessmen based in Amman – Jordan
A member in the Iraqi businessmen Association based in Amman – Jordan
2- I applied with my wife Mrs. Sahar Al-mahdawi to the Italian embassy in Amman for a tourist schengen visa , and I received ten days later that my wife application was accepted but mine was refused and the reason gave my was that a schengen members state considered me a (threat to public safety ) and I was informed that I can appeal the decision through an Italian lawyer within 60 days .
I wish to make the following comments:
1- I traveled to Europe \ UK and Canada many times before and I never faced a similar situation .
2- On 13th October 2015 while entering Germany \ Frankfurt and following a request by the immigration officer for approve of my documents travel , he stamped my passport to enter to Frankfurt but he then made a racist comment which lead to an exchange between me and him . then he asked me to go to the immigration office and hold my passport and all the documents , and he told me laterally ( I accuse you of getting the visa unlawfully through the French embassy )
He said that I had to choose between:
a- refuse starting criminal investigation and deporting me back to Amman and put me in the black list
b- accept his accusation and go through a minor investigation, and allowed to back to Amman and apply again for a visa , I accept this choice and I explain in my statement everything but he still insisted I most travel to France not to Germany and then he deport me to Amman not to Marrakech which was my initial point of traveling.
After arriving in Amman I discovered he had stamped my visa as ( Annulliert ) realized that the officer was adamant to hurt me and cause a big problem during any future shcengen visa application .
Dear Sir
I hope you can assist me with my appeal of the unfair decision.
Kindly advise me with if you were welling to represent me and advise me the cost.
I will send you all the documents in case I got your e-mail.